Vogue India March/April 2023 : Naomi Campbell by Campbell Addy

[vogue28]

 

[DK92]

It could be a lot better, the photo is very grainy... Was it edited with some kind of Instagram filter? But somehow it's something I like, it looks vintage, I hope the editorial is good!

 

[kokobombon]

I adore it

 

[MON]

GORGEOUS.

 

[aracic]

She looks so regal. Easily my favorite Naomi Campbell cover in a long, long time. I like the use of jewelry and all the vivid, golden tones, as well as the choice to do a close-up like this. Beautiful! Perhaps a March favourite oh mine, their only competition is Anja.

 

[KoV]

Love the jewelry and how saturated it is, it really pops.

 

[crmsn]

Stunning!

 

[marsnoop2]

Oh this is just stunning! Naomi looks so regal here, I love the vintage look it almost feel like it’s from the 60s, and I love how palpably Indian it is.

 

[Bertrando3]

It's a good cover I agree, I like the vintage feel about it. I am excited to see the editorial

 

[avonlea002]

Looks like a backstage photo taken with iphone.

 

[oaklee91]

If I could change one thing, I would put either gold or dark brown lipstick on her and the cover would have been perfect.

 

[Phuel]

Looks like a backstage photo taken with iphone.

You're being too kind.

It’s so hilariously amateur. For such a close-crop select, the light/shadow/details should be impeccably sharp: See Albert Watson. This looks like a select that was cropped in post, and sharpened in post, with that awful tell-tale sign of sloppy gold overlay in the outline around her face. It’s inexcusably bad. But good for Addy for consistently suckering Vogue with such subpar, amateur photography that they eagerly slap on their covers.

 

[Urban Stylin]

Love it though I dont know why they had to darken her skin.

 

[aracic]

It’s so hilariously amateur. For such a close-crop select, the light/shadow/details should be impeccably sharp: See Albert Watson. This looks like a select that was cropped in post, and sharpened in post, with that awful tell-tale sign of sloppy gold overlay in the outline around her face. It’s inexcusably bad. But good for Addy for consistently suckering Vogue with such subpar, amateur photography that they eagerly slap on their covers.

It's awfully unfair to bring up Albert Watson in a conversation regarding the current crop of photographers. This is the present fashion imagery, we all need to adjust to it regrettably because we will likely never see another Albert Watson. And considering what's out there, this right here is not a bad example at all.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ LOL Yes, totally unfair. And even if I were to not mention the masterclass technical skill of lighting that is Albert Watson, this is still very amateur, for all the reasons I’ve outlined.

Look at the current weekly Zara men’s advertising, that features a Black man. The difference between that Zara shoot and this is virtually the clear difference between a seasoned profession who understands light/shadow on dark skin, and this level of incompetence that’s being plastered for a Vogue cover.

If I were feeling more generous and not being so blunt (aka as being truthful), I would say that this is a (very amateur) attempt at the classic Avedon Vogue cover, complete with the jewelry surrounding the face… But are our expectations and standards so low now that this very poor technical execution gets a pass because of decent "creative" intentions? The entire industry is already creatively-bankrupt, now it’s in the company of technical incompetence. And it already seems as if many that are working in the industry hate fashion… WTF happened to industry standards…???

Overly-saturated colors does not equal good photography.

 

[aracic]

But are our expectations and standards so low now that this very poor technical execution gets a pass because of decent "creative" intentions?

Frankly, yes. I gave up standards for the sake of my own sanity, all they did was lead to disappointment and frustration. Anything that's even remotely visually pleasing (relying on status symbol comes as a plus) is good, because I know better than to expect great.

Gloom aside, I can see your point. Campbell Addy is like a yin to Pavarotti's yang, the opposite ends on the Exposure settings.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Interesting, aracic… Because for me, TFS is the only sanctuary where standards are still being upheld— at least on an idealistic sense; sometimes to a ridiculously unattainable level, even. It’s the one place where I don’t feel like I’m going crazy by still having standards. Because in the real world, high standards be damned, sadly. And more importantly, if you want to keep your job— or have a job, you just lower your standards and give the people (employers) what they want: And what the employers want is to please the masses. And well-- we all know the standards of the masses...

 

[mepps]

Oh this is just stunning! Naomi looks so regal here, I love the vintage look it almost feel like it’s from the 60s, and I love how palpably Indian it is.

In no way is this palpably Indian, with a black woman on the cover.
Vogue Kenya, and we have a winner.

 

[mepps]

I almost love this cover (colors, jewelry), but this really should have gone to an Indian beauty.
Still, it's probably my fav Naomi Vogue cover in a while.

 

[aracic]

^^^ Interesting, aracic… Because for me, TFS is the only sanctuary where standards are still being upheld— at least on an idealistic sense; sometimes to a ridiculously unattainable level, even. It’s the one place where I don’t feel like I’m going crazy by still having standards. Because in the real world, high standards be damned, sadly. And more importantly, if you want to keep your job— or have a job, you just lower your standards and give the people (employers) what they want: And what the employers want is to please the masses. And well-- we all know the standards of the masses...

That's the thing about it. Our upholding of standards is merely idealistic, it's become such a rarity where our individual standards are actually met that we slightly lower them with every new appealing effort just so that there's something to spark interest in present fashion. I can't remember the last time I genuinely liked the cover of any American magazine, and yet every month I'll try to look for at least one thing they may have done right. If the hair is falling right or if I like the color of the dress against the masthead, there must be something. Obviously, there are months where there is no saving grace and all that's left to say is negativity - but sometimes I just have no energy so I choose to overlook things. This sort of ties into the topic being discussed over at Designer & Insiders Behaviour thread, giving positive reviews just for the sake of avoiding constant negativity leads to inevitable loss of integrity. And that's no good either.

Anyway, I wanna double back to what I stated before. While I do think that there's little standard left, you're right in saying that we still uphold it here more so than social media or reality. Now, I genuinely like this cover. It's not something I'll think about afterwards (probably ever), but I think it is a nice enough portrait of Naomi. All of her recent covers were quite awful in my opinion - I had to Google her work in the past year because I couldn't remember anything besides the Meisel covers. It was all quite awful and drab. This is rich in color and who doesn't love a good bejeweled moment? She maybe looks a bit crusty with all the grain going on, but it's alright. Campbell Addy has a signature and this is it, and while it's usually not my taste, I think it's very representative of the new class of fashion photographers and the general aesthetic of fashion we are in. For better or worse he's becoming one of the household names established enough to represent a generation of talents. And I can respect that, it has a sense of... standards.